Mattress handle delivering machinery



June 30, 1970 M. SYSMAN 3,517,857

MATTRESS HANDLE DELIVERING MACHINERY Filed Oct. 7, 1968 3 sheets sheet 1INVENTOR. MILTON 'ZYSMHN ZMQMW Abel - June 30, 1970 I s sM 3,517,857

MATTRESS HANDLE DELIVERING MACHINERY Filed Oct. 7, 19 68 s Sheets-Sheet2 INVENTOR.

MILTON ZYSMAN Hg'ent June 30, 1970 M. SYSMAN 3,517,857

MATTRESS HANDLE DELIVERING MACHINERY Filed 001:, 7, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet3 46 3o '36 b 3e 42 [1 Ila 6ENVENTOR. n MILTON ZYSMRN BY 24, AgentUnited States Patent US. Cl. 221-289 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREDelivery apparatus having a magazine for containing stacked mattresshandles and including a pair of release cams engageable at oppositesides of the stack to lift it off the lowermost handle in the stack torelease said handle, whereby it can slide under gravity for delivery toa handle attaching mechanism.

The invention relates broadly to automatic machinery for attachingmattress handles to webbing which is subsequently utilized in themanufacture of mattresses, the invention having particular reference toimproved apparatus for delivering handles to the specific handleattaching facilities of such machinery for attachment as aforesaid.

In general, such machinery usually takes the form of a press includingat least three facilities, namely, means for advancing the webbing;means for attaching handles to the webbing, and mechanism for deliveringhandles to the attaching facilities for attachment to the webbing.

In particular, the invention is concerned with improvements in thelatter facility, namely, mechanism for delivering the handles to theattaching facilities of the machinery.

Mattress handles as herein contemplated are conventionally moulded ofplastics in moulds having multiple cavities so that the usual productyielded by such a mould comprises a number of handles interconnectedtogether by short sprues linking and forming them into a gang orassembly of handles as is known by those in the art.

In accordance with current practices, the individual handles arerespectively detached from the assemblies and attached at measuredintervals to the webbing which moves past the specific attachingmechanism; the webbing being usually subdivided into individual lengthsafter the said handles have been attached thereto for laterincorporation into mattresses as the side walls or borders thereof,although this latter step has no bearing on the present invention.

As has been indicated, a main object of the invention is to provideimproved mechanism for delivering handle assemblies to the attachingfacilities of machinery as aforesaid and a somewhat more specific objectis to provide such mechanism having a magazine for a stack of handleassemblies as well as means for transferring successive assembliesindividually from the magazine to the attaching facilities of the presswhich may also be equipped with means for severing individual handlesfrom the assemblies aforesaid although such means do not constitute partof the present invention.

It may be useful to observe at this juncture that each of the handlescontemplated by the invention is equipped with fastening elements bywhich it is attached to the mattress border; such fastening elementsbeing often preinstalled in the handles before the latter reach theattaching facilities of the machinery and, usually, are so installedeven before the handle assemblies are loaded into the instant deliverymechanism. Each said fastening element in- 'cludes a complement ofsharpened prongs which project markedly through the handles when thesaid fastening element is installed therein as aforesaid. Resultantly,when several handle assemblies are stacked in the magazine as 3,517,857Patented June 30, 1970 above indicated, it is not uncommon for some ofthem to become enmeshed in the fastener prongs projecting from olilzhersto the extent that force may be required to separate t em.

Some of the other objects of the invention are, therefore, to providemeans for delivering successive handles to handle attaching machinery asaforesaid, including mechanism for disengaging and separating individualhandle assemblies from the stack contained in the magazine for transferto the attachment facilities of the machinery.

To provide such mechanism with a simple but effective escapement forthis purpose;

To provide such escapement with means insertable between two handleassemblies to free at least one of them for transfer as aforesaid, saidinsertable means being further capable of prying said assemblies apartwhen and if necessary, and, in the present embodiment at least,

The invention further seeks to provide structure which will permittransfer of the handles as aforesaid by gravity.

A still further refinement contemplated by the invention comprises meansfor sensing and responding to demand by the attaching machinery-forhandles, and the provision of the instant delivery mechanism equippedwith such demand sensing and answering means is also an object of theinvention.

It will, of course, be recognized as yet another and obvious object ofthe invention to provide handle attaching machinery equipped with theinstant handle delivering mechanism.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided means for deliveringsuccessive handles to machinery for installing such handles on mattresswalls comprising a magazine for a stack of handle assemblies disposed inregistering frictional interengagernent with each other; means fortransferring the leading handle assembly at one end of the stack fromsaid magazine to the said machinery; seating upon which the stack isdisposable with the said leading assembly in position for transfer asaforesaid, said transfer being ordinarily inhibited by the frictionalinterengagement of the leading assembly with the next followingassembly; an escapement cyclically operable to disengage the saidleading assembly from the next following assembly and to free it fortransfer as aforesaid, said escapement being thereafter operable toredispose the remainder of the stack on said seating with the said nextfollowing assembly in leading position, the operation of the escapementto disengage the leading and following assemblies and to redispose theremainder on the seating as aforesaid constituting a single cycle ofoperations, and

mechanism for sensing a demand for handles and for initiating a singlecycle of operations toprocure transfer of at least one handle assemblyin response to said demand.

The foregoing and other more or less broad objects of the invention areachieved by means of the elements, parts and principles constituting theinvention set forth, a preferred embodiment whereof is set forth in thehereinafter following description and illustrated by way of example onlyin the hereunto annexed drawing wherein like refereneedevices refer tolike parts of the invention and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view of a handle attaching pressshown in side elevation with the instant handle delivering mechanismassociated therewith;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the upper structure of the press shown inFIG. 1 with various portions thereof broken away to reveal hiddendetails;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the magazine forming parts of theinstant invention, particularly illustrating parts of the escapementaforesaid;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are a series of fragmentary views 3 showing certainparts of the escapement mechanism at different stages of operation, and

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a handle as contemplated by the inventionwith fastening elements installed therein.

The various objects of the invention are more particularly realized bythe provision of a magazine for stacked handle assemblies andtransferring means Which may include a track communicating between saidmagazine and the attaching facilities of the press. In addition, theinvention contemplates an escapement for disengaging the leading handleassembly at the forward end of the stack in the magazine to free it fortransfer along the said track from the magazine to the attachingfacilities aforesaid. Such disengagement of the leading handle assemblyis, preferably, effected by moving the next following assembly and theremainder of the stack away from the leading handle assembly. When saidleading handle assembly has been duly transferred, the stack may then berelocated in the magazine with the said next following assembly inleading position and becoming the new leading handle assembly.

FIG. 1 of the attached drawing is chiefly intended for orientationpurposes to illustrate the relationship of the present invention to thehandle attaching machinery or press of the prior art which is denoted inthe drawing by the reference device P; the numeral 2 being intended todesignate generally the attaching facilities of the press which maycomprise a pair of setting dies by which individual handles 4 of FIG. 7are secured to webbing 6 moving across the bed 8 of the press Ptherebelow. This structure is not part of the invention nor, in a broadsense, is the chute 10 shown in this view constituting the specifictrack by which handle assemblies 14 are, in this embodiment,successively transferred to the handle attaching facilities 2 aforesaid.

In the present embodiment of the invention, said chute 10 includes atrack providing a glide surface for the handle assemblies 14; said trackbeing constituted by symmetrical rails 16--16 which are joined togetherin parallel relation by ties 18'; being spaced so that the widened endterminals 2020 of the respective handles 4 will ride the said rails 1616when a said handle assembly 14 is being transported along chute 10.

The chute 10 aforesaid which forms part of the transfer means in thisembodiment communicates between the machinery or press P and themagazine M in which the handle assemblies 14 are stacked for respectivedelivery to the attaching facilities 2 of the machinery P.

For the sake of clarity, it should be observed that the letter S hereindenotes a stack of two or more handle assemblies '14 contained in saidmagazine M and resting on seating 24 which merges with chute 10 so thatthe specific handle assembly 14 actually occupying seating 24 is inleading position and poised to commence its travel from said seating 24along chute 10 t the attaching facilities 2 of the machinery P. Eachhandle assembly 14, of course, comprises a plurality of handles 4 gangedor connected together by sprues 5.

Said specific handle assembly 14 actually occupying seating 24 is hereindistinguished as the leading handle assembly at the forward end of stackS and is identified by the reference device 14a; the specific handleassembly 14 next succeeding it being herein more particularly identifiedas the next following handle assembly 14b. It will be obvious that aseach leading handle assembly 14a embarks on its journey towards thepress P, said next following assembly 14b moves up to the next positionin line for transfer and hence becomes eligible to assume the place andidentity of the erstwhile leading handle assembly 14a; its followerbeing thereafter identifiable as the next following assembly 14b.

In the present embodiment, the handle assemblies 14 in stack S aretransferred from magazine M to press P by gravity and said magazine Mis, therefore, stationed at a level above that of the attachingfacilities 2; the chute 10 connecting it to press P being, resultantly,downwardly inclined. In this case, the handle assemblies 14 are,therefore, preferably stacked more or less horizontally in magazine Mwhereby the bottom of stack S becomes its forward end and the handleassembly 14 at that end becomes the leading handle assembly 14a.

The magazine M is equipped with walls and other elements providingcontainment for all of the handle assemblies 14 stacked therein abovethe level of the leading assembly 14a thereby providing access openings2525 at the side of magazine M and an escape opening 26 at the front ofthe magazine through which said leading handle assembly 14a makes itsexit from magazine M.

As has been stated, the seating 24 merges with rails 1616 of chute 10 sothat leading handle assembly 14a in magazine M may make the transitionfrom seating 24 to chute 10 virtually Without impediment. To facilitatesuch transition, the magazine M is tilted forwardly towards chute 10while gliding surfaces of rails 1616 and seating 24 on which therespective handle assemblies 14 ride on their downward journeys to thepress P are rendered relatively friction free by a high polish.Resultantly, the leading handle assembly 14a properly seated on seating24 is at all times biased for transfer.

However, it will be appreciated that being at the bottom of stack S,said leading handle assembly 14:: may be frictionally interengaged withthe next following handle assembly 14b at least, whereby its escapethrou h exit opening 26 is normally inhibited.

To free said leading handle assembly 14a for transfer as aforesaid, theinvention provides elongated rockers 30 each rotatably supported on anaxle 36 trunnioned on each side of the stack S with means (to bedescribed) at the back of the magazine M for operating said rockers30-30 to effect disengagement of the leading handle assembly 14a fromthe next following assembly 14b, and the remainder of the stack S, tofree the said leading handle assembly 14a for transit down chute 10 topress P; said rockers 3030 being thereafter operable to redispose thestack S on seating 24 with the next following handle assembly 14 beingin leading position as hereinbefore described.

In its essential features, each said rocker 30 is journalled forrotation or oscillation about an axis paralleling the sides of magazineM. Moreover, each said rocker 30 is of cam-like transverse cross-sectionand has a lip 32 which is parallel to its axis and spaced therefrom sothat said lip 32 describes an arcuate orbit when the rocker 30 isoscillated.

In its neutral position, see FIG. 4, each rocker 30 is turned so that itis at one side of and wholly clear of stack S with its lip 32 lowered.In addition, it is dimensioned and situated so that when it is turned onits axis in an appropriate direction, its lip 32 will intervene throughthe proximal access opening 25 between the leading and following handleassemblies 14a and 14b in magazine M, after which continued rotation ofrocker 30 will cause its said lip 32 to engage said next followingassembly 14b and to lift it (and the remainder of stack S) off theleading assembly 14a, thereby disengaging the two handle assemblies fromeach other and freeing the leading assembly 14a for transfer.

The rockers 3030 operate in synchronism as will be understood and whenthe leading assembly 14a has duly vacated seating 24, they are turnedback toward neutral position in the course of which they replace stack Son seating 24 with the previously next following handle assembly 14b inleading (14a) position.

To meet the exigencies created by the en-meshing of the next followinghandle assembly 14b with the prong fastener element 34 of the leadingassembly 14a, said lip 32 is dimensioned and given the form of Wedgingfor pry ing apart, if need be, said leading and following handleassemblies 14a and 14b.

As stated hereinbefore, there is provided means at the rear of themagazine for operating the rockers 30-30. Such means conveniently takesthe form of a mechanical linkage interconnected between the ends of therocker axles 36 together with :a fluid pressure actuated piston andcylinder assembly 38, the piston 40 of which acts directly upon thelinkage to cause rotation of the rockers 3030.

More specifically, the linkage comprises two short lever arms 4242, eachmounted fast, at one of its ends, with a rocker axle 36 and each havingits free end freely pivotally connected to the respective ends of aninterme diate bridging link 44. A further short lever arm 46 is alsomounted at one of its ends fast with one of the axles 36.

Fluid pressure actuated piston and cylinder assembly 38 is mountedalongside the magazine M at its back edge in such manner that the piston40 can move vertically to bear upon the lever arm 46 and consequentlyrotate the rockers 3030 via the interconnection between arms 42, axles36 and link 44. In the construction shown, downward movement of thepiston 40, i.e.: extension thereof, will rotate the rockers 30-30simultaneously to disengage the leading handle assembly 14a from thenext following assembly 14b.

Such rotation of the rockers 3030 with the consequent release of theleading handle assembly 14a for transfer as aforesaid, see FIGS. 5 and6, and subsequent return of the rockers to their initial position uponretraction of the piston 40 constitutes :a single cycle of operations.

Also, in accordance with the invention, there is provided mechanism forsensing a demand for handles, for attachment to the webbing ashereinbefore described, and for initiating a single cycle of operationsto procure handle transfer as aforesaid.

Said sensing mechanism includes a micro-switch 48 (see FIG. 2) mountedbehind one of the guide rails 16 in such a position that a handleassembly 14 in the chute will engage the micro-switch 48 and close it.As is shown in FIG. 2, the switch 48 is engaged by one of the terminalportions of each successive handle 4 as the handle assembly 14 passesdown the chute. Closure of the micro-switch closes an appropriateelectrical circuit (not illustrated) which, in turn, controls theaforesaid piston and cylinder assembly 38 to retain the piston 40 in itsretracted position.

When the last handle of a handle assembly 14 in the chute has passedover the micro-switch 48 as the handle assembly moves down the chute,the micro-switch is permitted to open under spring pressure. Thisopening of the switch opens the aforesaid electrical circuit to actuatethe piston and cylinder assembly 38 to cause extension of the piston 40with the subsequent rotation of the rockers -30 through the positionsshown in FIGS. 4-6 to disengage the leading handle assembly 14a from thenext following assembly 14b. This disengagement, as hereinbeforedescribed, permits the leading handle assembly 14a to slide undergravity down the chute 10 until the foremost handle of this transferredassembly slides into abutting engagement with the rearmost handle of thepreceding assembly 14 already in the chute 10. At this position, asshown in FIG. 2, the said foremost handle of the transferred handleassembly will engage the microswitch 48 to close it and cause retractionof thepiston with the consequent return of the rockers 30-30 to theirinitial position as shown in FIG. 4. At this time, what was the nextfollowing assembly 14b is permitted to drop into position within themagazine M upon seating 24 to become the next leading assembly 14a readyfor transfer as aforesaid when a next single cycle of operations isinitiated.

It will be appreciated that the 'hereinbefore described embodiments ofthe invention have been selected solely for th expository purposeshereof and should not be construed in a limiting sense; variousmodifications being readily suggestible to those skilled in the art andthe true scope of the invention being restricted only by the claimshereinafter set forth.

What I claim is:

1. Means for delivering successive handles to machinery for installingsuch handles on mattress walls comprising:

a magazine for a stack of handle assemblies disposed in registeringfrictional interengagement with each other;

means for transferring the leading handle assembly at one end of thestack from said magazine to the said machinery;

seating upon which the stack is disposable with the said leadingassembly in position for transfer as aforesaid, said transfer beingordinarily inhibited by the frictional interengagement of the leadingassembly with the next following assembly;

an escapement cyclically operable to disengage the said leading assemblyfrom the next following assembly and to free it for transfer asaforesaid, said escapement being thereafter operable to redispose theremainder of the stack on said seating with the said next followingassembly in leading position, the operation of the escapement todisengage the leading and following assemblies and to redispose theremainder of the seating as aforesaid constituting a single cycle ofoperations, and

mechanism for sensing a demand for handles and for initiating a singlecycle of operations to procure transfer of at least one handle assemblyin response to said demand.

2. Delivering means as set forth in claim 1 wherein said escapementincludes:

means insertable between said leading and next following assemblies foreffecting disengagement of the said leading assembly and freeing it fortransfer as aforesaid;

said escapement being operable thereafter to withdraw said insertablemeans to a neutral position following redisposition of the said nextfollowing assembly in leading position on the said seating.

3. Delivering means as set forth in claim 1 wherein said escapementincludes:

wedging insertable between said leading and next following assembliesfor prying them apart for effecting disengagement of the said leadingassembly and freeing it for transfer as aforesaid;

said escapement being operable thereafter to withdraw said wedging to aneutral position following redisposition of the said next followingassembly in leading position on the said seating.

4. Delivering means as set forth in claim 1 wherein said escapementincludes:

eccentric wedging means for prying apart said leading and next followingassemblies, said wedging means being provided with trunnions about whichit is pivotally rotatably mounted;

said wedging means being insertable between said leading and nextfollowing assemblies for effecting disengagement of the said leadingassembly and freeing it for transfer as aforesaid;

said escapement being operable thereafter to withdraw said wedging meansto a neutral position following redisposition of the said next followingassembly in leading position on the said seating.

5. Delivering means as set forth in claim 1 wherein said escapementincludes:

means insertable between said leading and next following assemblies onopposite sides of said stack for effecting disengagement of the. saidleading assembly and freeing it for transfer as aforesaid;

said escapement being operable thereafter to withdraw said insertablemeans from both sides of said stack to a neutral position followingredisposition of the said next following assembly in leading position onthe said seating. 6. Delivering means as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid escapement includes:

elongated cams insertable on opposite sides of said stack between saidleading and next following assemblies for effecting disengagement of thesaid leading assembly and freeing it for transfer as aforesaid;

said escapement being operable thereafter to withdraw said cams fromboth sides of said stack to a neutral position following redispositionof the said next following assembly in leading position on the saidseatlng.

7. Delivering means as set forth in claim 1 wherein said magazine isoriented to contain said handles in stacked superposed relation with thelowermost assembly in leading position; the transferring meanscomprising a chute merging with and forming a continuation of saidseating.

8. Delivering means as set forth in claim 7 wherein said escapementincludes means for raising said next following assembly off thelower-most assembly, freeing the latter for transfer as aforesaid andfor thereafter lowering said next following assembly on the said seatingin leading position.

9. Delivering means as set forth in claim 8 wherein said magazineincludes containment for the stack of handle assemblies above theleading assembly; said magazine having an outlet for the said leadinghandle assembly between the seating and the transfer means.

10. Delivering means as set forth in claim 9 wherein said magazine isdisposed at a level above that of the attaching machinery and is tiltedto permit transfer of the said handle assembly under the force ofgravity.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,858,043 10/1958 Fenton et al221297 X 2,906,434- 9/1959 Goodman 221296 X SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, PrimaryExaminer UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PatentNo. 3,517,857 June 30, 1970 Milton Zysman It is certified that errorappears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent arehereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading to the drawings sheets 1 to 3, "M. each occurrence,should read M. ZYSMAN SYSMAN" Signed and sealed this 16th day ofFebruary 1971 (SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Ir.

Commissioner of Patents Atlesting Officer

